April 3, 2024 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin held an extensive discussion with participants in the annual expanded meeting of the Interior Ministry Board on April 2, in which he reported on the ongoing investigation into the March 22 terrorist incident at the Crocus City Hall in which 144 people were killed. He stated in no uncertain terms: “We will get to those who masterminded this crime.” A day after the attack, Putin had taken note of the fact that the perpetrators had been caught fleeing to Ukraine. And on March 26, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov told the press that Russia believes that the U.S., Britain and Ukraine were behind the terrorist attack.
Putin instructed the Interior Ministry Board: “As I have said before, it is not only important to identify the actual perpetrators but also all the links in the chain and the end beneficiaries of this atrocity. We will definitely bring them to justice.” He warned that using mercenary terrorists “cuts both ways. Numerous crimes have been perpetrated for money. In addition, it can be said, and you are fully aware of it, that no agent is fully reliable in that professional community.… Everything is for sale there, any information can be bought and sold. In other words, we will get to those who masterminded this crime.”
By the same token, Putin insisted “that it is unacceptable to use the recent tragedy to incite ethnic discord, xenophobia, Islamophobia and the like. Actually, the main goal of the terrorists and their masterminds was to sow discord and panic, conflict, and hatred in our country, to split Russia from within. It is their main objective. We must not allow them to achieve it under any circumstances.”
Putin elaborated on foreign efforts to conquer or dismantle Russia:
“After the collapse of the U.S.S.R., our geopolitical adversaries naturally became determined to finish off what remained of historical Russia, primarily to accelerate the collapse of its core, Russia proper, the Russian Federation…. Strange as it may seem, someone still seeks revenge for their failed attempts to defeat Russia in the past—for Hitler’s and Napoleon’s unsuccessful campaigns against Russia. There have been many such examples in history, and surprisingly enough, our adversaries still hold them in their historical memory….
“Certain countries are desperate to preserve their hegemony in today’s rapidly changing world, including at our expense. Naturally, given our country’s vast territory and abundant human and natural resources, they would not want to miss the opportunity to plunder Russia.”
